Gunmen kill ex-Anambra lawmaker

Unknown gunmen on Tuesday night shot dead a former lawmaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr Anthony Igboka.

Igboka, who was until his death the President-General of Nimo Town Union, it was gathered, was shot at Oye Nimo village market square in the Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State while returning from a meeting.

The Anambra Police command had confirmed the incident, saying that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mustapha Dandaura, had ordered a full-scale investigation on the matter.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent in Awka, said the deceased was shot in his car near Nimo market.

He said, “At about 8:18 pm on April 16, there were sporadic gunshots around Nimo Market in Njikoka Local Government Area.

“Police patrol team attached to Nimo Division rushed to the scene and discovered one Chief Frank Anthony Igboka on the driver’s seat of his Chevrolet SUV vehicle lying unconscious in the pool of his blood.

“His body was riddled with bullets. The victim was rushed to Beke Hospital, Nimo, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor and the corpse was later deposited at the hospital morgue.

The PPRO said preliminary investigations showed that the victim was shot at a close range by four armed men who escaped in a pickup van towards Abacha-Eziowelle road.

“The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Mustapha Dandaura, has visited the scene and ordered a full-scale investigation to ascertain circumstances surrounding the incident and bring perpetrators to justice.”

Mohammed appealed to the public to avail the command with information that could help in arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act.